Gary J. Wolff's Blog Archives
October-December, 2021
This page shows archived posts for Gary J. Wolff's blog from
October-December,
2021.
Enjoy...
Cheers,
Gary
Dec. 30,
2021 - 2021 - the
Year in Pictures
I am indeed very thankful for another wonderful year! As I have done in
years past, I sometimes like to put together a collection of photos
reflecting back on some of my favorite memories of the past year. I
hope you enjoy the 40 photos in my video below. Best wishes for a
gr-r-reat Twenty Twenty-Two, the Year of (Tony) the Tiger...
2021 - the Year
in Pictures
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Dec. 25,
2021 - NORAD
Tracks Santa as he visits Mt. Fuji, Japan & Houston,
Texas
In case any of my Tokyo friends missed him, Santa & his 9 reindeer
passed over Mt. Fuji (富士山) last night (Xmas Eve) a little after 11 pm.
Here's
NORAD's official video of Santa's 2021 visit to Japan, captured in
real-time by a NORAD (*) Santa Cam. Don't miss Santa flying DIRECTLY
over
the cone of Mt.
Fuji! WOW!!
NORAD Tracks Santa
in Japan, Dec. 24, 2021 (NORAD video)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Santa Claus & his 9 reindeer also flew over my hometown,
Houston, Texas,
last night during his 24-hour journey around the globe. This happened
around 12:15 am Houston time. Here's the video captured by an
official NORAD Santa Cam as he passed over Texas' largest city a couple
years ago:
NORAD Tracks Santa
over Houston, Texas, Dec. 24, 2019
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Total
Xmas gifts delivered by Santa Claus this year: 7,623,693,263 WOW!
(*) North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
Dec. 22,
2021 - Sasano Band,
Little Texas honky-tonk, Meguro, Tokyo, Dec. 18, 2021
Whoever said there isn't any authentic, live country music in Japan got
it all WRONG. And it's even more
exciting when you can listen & dance to it in Little
Texas
(リトルテキサス), the "World's Smallest Texas Honky-Tonk," a place that'll
make you swear you're inside a real live Houston honky-tonk instead of
right in the heart of Tokyo. Please say hello to Ms. Sasano Kawamura
(河村ささ野), one of Tokyo's hottest country singers! Yee hah!!
Sasano Band,
Little Texas honky-tonk, Meguro, Tokyo, Dec. 18, 2021
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Wow, there really IS a God. And this
Texican just got a WHOLE lot
more homesick. We can now enjoy yet another spot to chow down on
authentic Texas BBQ right in the heart of Tokyo, and just in time for
Xmas.
A big TEXAS-size High 5 for the heads-up to my good Facebook musician
buddy, Santa Sparky Guitarslinger.
Less than 24 hours after hearing about this new Texas BBQ restaurant
from Sparky, I was dining in their Yoyogi branch. Here are my pics: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzvoci
Not great, but not bad. The brisket was juicy, tender, and moderately
flavorful, the coleslaw and BBQ sauce were to die for, the dinner roll
soft & tasty, the creamy spinach needs work, and they were a bit
stingy on the onions and pickles.
It’s that gorgeous time of year again in Tokyo when nature's paintbrush
adds a lot of colorful cheer to our lives. These pics were taken this
past week in a number of spots famous for fall colors, including
Rikugien (六義園), the historic, centuries-old Japanese garden which was
designed in 1702 (before America was born).
This kind of beautiful scenery brings a lot of childhood joy to folks
like myself, even after 30 years here, as there is nothing even close
to this in my home state of Texas. Japan is indeed one beautiful
country...
Tokyo fall colors in December 2021
(click here
to view full album)
Dec. 8,
2021 - "O Holy Night" by opera singers
Paul Hartfield Sr. & Robert Hartfield
Father & son duet. Raised in the East Texas city of Lufkin and a
graduate of the famed Stephen F. Austin State University music school,
international opera singer Paul Hartfield is in style and spirit a true
Italian tenor.
Mr. Hartfield earned a number of America's most prestigious singing
awards early in his career, and was very soon singing with the Lyric
Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Greater
Miami Opera, Seattle Opera, Kansas City Opera, Utah Opera, Tampa Bay
Opera, and San Diego Opera.
Mr. Hartfield's international engagements have included the Theatre des
Champs-Elysees, Opera de Monte Carlo, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the
Bel Canto Festival (France), Hong Kong Opera, and Cape Town Opera.
O Holy Night -
Paul Hartfield Sr. & Robert Hartfield
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
[I had the pleasure of meeting Paul back in his college days in
Nacogdoches thru Ted
Stewart, a mutual friend, who also studied opera at SFASU. I
absolutely LOVE this beautiful song, "It is Well with My Soul,"
that Paul sang at Ted's funeral 12 years ago. By all means, don't miss
the amazing crescendo in this song starting at the 4:20 mark where you
can hear
Paul's gifted operatic voice!]
Dec. 2,
2021 - My Nov. 25, 2021 visit to Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
The Disney Parks slogans "The Happiest Place on Earth" where "Dreams
Come True" work even for sexagenarians!
13 rides (one of them twice) in only 9.5 hours made for a very busy day
indeed!
And it wasn't until walking out of Space Mountain after riding it a 2nd
time just before the 8 pm park closing that I heard the English
announcement: "This ride is not recommended for those with heart
conditions or of advanced age!"
Dec. 5,
2021 update:
And I was pleasantly surprised how well my video turned out, especially
since I didn't have the best seat in the house to view the electrical
light parade!
My Nov. 25, 2021
visit to Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Here
are the 2 main video highlights:
5:06 It's a Small World (AMAZING!)
14:07 Electrical Light Parade DreamLights (EVEN MORE AMAZING!)
Nov. 27,
2021 - My Nov. 24, 2021 visit to the Tokyo Regional Immigration
Services Bureau (東京出入国在留管理局)
In Japan, the Foreign Resident (gaijin) ID card is only good for 7
years, so when I visited immigration Wednesday to renew mine, my friend
in Texas asked me to take some pictures.
But I guess maybe I overdid it. The weather that day was picture
perfect, so I couldn't resist going somewhat overboard and becoming a
bit too snap happy. (If you ever visit Tokyo, the
views from the Tokyo Monorail are AMAZING!)
Ever thought about making your own paper soccer ball? Follow these
quick, easy steps to create your own colorful design. A free, fun
activity for kids! [The Tokyo Wolffman is STILL a child!]
Blind Joe Bommersbach, a country music artist who grew up in Fargo,
North Dakota, is getting international attention and generating support
from fans around the world for a new song that takes direct aim at
COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates.
The first time Blind Joe posted the amazing video below, YouTube
deleted it after it received 48,000 views in only 24 hours.
Yes, he really is blind!
"I Will Not Comply" by Blind Joe
[Click on the "CC" button for English subtitles. Click on the settings
(gear) icon if you need to increase the subtitle font size.]
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Lyrics:
I will not comply
Quit tryin' to take me to task
cuz I don’t wanna wear a mask
or take a vaccine that could maybe make me die
They got no scientific evidence to back that crap up
all they do is feed us lie after lie
That’s why I will not comply.
Since back last March I’ve had an achy breaky heart like old Billy Ray
Cyrus
Been catching a case of the blues from the news around this damn
coronavirus
Now they’re telling us we gotta keep our chin diapers up
even if we got the shot in the arm
But nobody’s talkin' 'bout exercise or eating food that’s fresh grown
from the farm
That’s why I will not comply
Quit tryin' to take me to task
cuz I don’t wanna wear a mask
or take a vaccine that could maybe make me die
They got no scientific evidence to back that crap up
all they do is feed us lie after lie
That’s why I will not comply
Now listen y'all
The only way to stop the violence is for us to break the silence right
now
So if you tend to agree and you’re pissed off like me
Stand your ass up and scream it out loud
Sing I will not comply
Quit tryin' to take me to task
cuz I don’t wanna wear a mask
or take a vaccine that could maybe make me die
They got no scientific evidence to back that crap up
all they do is feed us lie after lie
That’s why I will not comply
Yeah, I’m here to tell ya people I will not comply!!! No. That's the
gospel truth!
Nov. 1,
2021 - Mr. Shohei Ohtani (大谷 翔平)
Ever since my hometown Houston Astros reached the World Series, I’ve
had Major League Baseball on my brain nearly every day. So I would be
remiss not to offer my kudos and most heartfelt congrats to Los Angeles
Angels superstar Mr. Shohei Ohtani (大谷 翔平), who has just been named
Player of the Year in a vote by his fellow pro baseball players.
Ohtani-san is the first Japanese to be awarded the prize.
This bonafide Japanese hero is known in this country as a "nitoryu"
(two-sword samurai, 二刀流), for his exceptional skills as both a pitcher
and hitter. In fact, this year he became the 1st MLB player ever to be
named both the starting pitcher and lead-off batter in an all-star
game. Wow.
Here are just a few of his stellar accomplishments this season:
9 wins as a pitcher
156 strikeouts
46 homers
100 runs batted in (RBIs), and
26 stolen bases
He also became only the 6th MLB player ever to achieve 45 home runs and
25 stolen bases in a season.
Ohtani-san has also received a number of other post-season awards and
is a favorite to win the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Award, which will be announced on Nov. 18.
This amazing 27-year-old certainly brings a lot of pride to the Land of
the Rising Sun!
Shohei Ohtani (大谷 翔平), Los Angeles Angels
(photo credit:
elfildeo.com)
Nov. 18
update: Today Shohei Ohtani was named this year's Most Valuable
Player in the MLB American League. Congrats, Ohtani-san!!
Oct. 25,
2021 - Houston Astros (ヒューストン・アストロズ) headed to the World Series…
...for the 3rd time in the last 5 years! After clinching the American
League pennant against the Boston Red Sox last Friday, the Astros will
be hosting the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, October 26 at Minute Maid
Park in Houston to begin the 2021 World Series.
The Astros have home field advantage, where 4 of the 7 (if necessary)
games will be played in Houston, and will be playing with 3 days of
rest compared to only 2 days for the Braves, which includes the time
required for them to fly to Houston.
In 2017 after the Astros reached the World Series en route to their
world championship, I purchased a new Astros ball cap at the
"Selection" American sporting goods shop in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Before leaving, the shop staff asked if he could take my picture
wearing my new cap so he could add it to the store's "snap photo"
blog page and I said "Of course."
For the past week or so,
I’ve been sporting my Houston Astros ball cap EVERYWHERE including in
my online university classes, and here I am wearing my cap in 2017.
Go Astros!
Caption on Selection blog page:
ヒューストンからお越しのお客様です！アストロズのキャップ購入頂きました♪キャップを被ってアストロズを応援して下さい＼(^o^)／
Translation: This customer comes from Houston! He bought an Astros cap.
Please support the Astros by wearing the cap.
Oct. 12,
2021 - Young Japanese boy softball pitcher (日本の少年ソフトボールのピッチャー)
I almost fell off my bicycle the other day when I
noticed this young boy, I’m guessing no more than 7 or 8 years old,
pitching like a real pro against grown adults in a parents vs. children
softball game. Having grown up watching my Hall of Famer softball
pitcher dad, Walter F. Wolff, I must say I was totally
impressed. And this precious, tiny little boy was SO cute!
Young Japanese boy
softball pitcher (日本の少年ソフトボールのピッチャー)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
One of the beauties of living in the world's most populous metropolis
is how easy it is to get back to nature. Just one example was a couple
days ago when I joined the Jambo International hiking group for a
4-hour mountain hike in Chichibu, Saitama.
Within just a 2-hour train ride from the city, we were enjoying a
beautiful, sunny fall day and enveloped by thick green forests, a
gurgling mountain stream, colorful cosmos flowers, chirping birds, a
stunning scenic overlook of Hanno City, and new friendships with fellow
hikers from around the world.
Countless easy and accessible hiking courses near Tokyo is just one of
many reasons I have chosen to live in this beautiful country for over 3
decades now.
Here is the hiking course, with more details on the Jambo International event page:
Higashi Agano Station (東吾野駅) → Mt. Monomi (物見山) → Mt. Hiwada (日和田山) →
Kinchakuda (巾着田) → Koma Station (高麗駅) (about 4 hours,
およそ約４時間)
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And it's even more
exciting when you can listen & dance to it in 
